Make Animated Cartoons

Even if you've never animated and can't draw!

Animate Right Away with Cartoon Animator

Add animation to your TikToks, Intagram Reels, or YouTube #Shorts. Watch me make a looping dance video with Cartoon Animator in less than 20 minutes!

Reallusion's Cartoon Animator comes complete with characters, scenes, props, and motion files that you can start animating with right away. 

Create your own characters, scenes, props, and motion files or, if you can't draw or animate, take advantage of Reallusion's Content Store or Marketplace where you can purchase professional quality art and motion files that you can use in personal and commercial projects. There's plenty of quality free content too!

Available for Mac and PC. Cartoon Animator is a very affordable one time payment. Trial it completely free for 30 days.

Learn more Download Free Trial

The Fastest Way to Master Cartoon Animator

The Lazy Animator Beginner's Guide to Cartoon Animator will have you animating your own projects in less than a weekend!

Just three and a half hours...

There are an over whelming number of free video tutorials that you can try to learn Cartoon Animator from. It's hard to know where to start and even harder to find an order that makes sense (Reallusion tried here). That's why I created The Lazy Animator Beginner's Guide to Cartoon Animator.

Bypass the frustration. In three and a half hours, consisting of just 21 short videos, you will know everything you need to know to create your animations with Cartoon Animator from the existing content in your Content Manager.

Buy the course, which includes a free demonstration project to test your skills and all the assets can be saved and used in your own projects.

"This was the best beginning course I have taken. I was able to do a fun animation to I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas as I was learning the program (and it came out so much better than I anticipated!)."

Kathy Adler - New Cartoon Animator User.

"There are a lot of videos out there to help getting to grips with Cartoon Animator, I have seen most of them and they all can be a bit of a task to get to grips with, mainly because the little bits of detail that we all need, seem to be missing as it is assumed we know. So I bought this package and it was very very helpful. Now those little missing bits in all those other videos start to make sense! It`s well set out and easy to follow - well worth buying"

- Steve Messruther - New(ish) Cartoon Animator User.

Learn more & Buy the Course Not ready to buy but still
want to learn? Click Here.

Learn More from The Lazy Animator with these Cartoon Animator Tutorials and Resources: 

  • The Fastest Way to Rig Your Own Characters in Cartoon Animator 4 Bundle
    How to rig your original characters using just one image. The fastest way!
  • How to Import Vector Images into Reallusion's Cartoon Animator (without Adobe Flash) and Apply Render Styles. If you don't have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription this will help you convert your vector files to .SWF so you can create true, resolution independent props and backgrounds. (Note: From Cartoon Animator 5 .SVG vector support has been added so this tutorial is only relevant if you specifically prefer .SWF vector format).
  • Animation and Video Life Blog. Sign up for the bi monthly email newsletter and receive discounts and the latest blog article almost a week early. Tips, reviews, tutorials, resources and more for independent and hobby animators with a particular focus on Cartoon Animator, Moho, and other low cost, free or open source software for animators.
  • Animation and Video Life YouTube Channel. Video tutorials, animated shorts, and more again with a focus on Cartoon Animator, Moho, and other low cost, free, or open source software.

Software and Resources to Help You Make Your Own Animated Cartoons

* Many links on this site are affiliate links. Clicking them will support my independent animation productions.

Click the arrows on the right to expand each category below.

Brain Storming, Mind Mapping Software
Freeplane (Free)
VUE (Free)
XMind (Paid)
Scapple (Paid) - Companion to Scrivener Scriptwriting software..

Scriptwriting Software
KIT Scenarist (Free) - a complete script writing suite that includes mind mapping, cards, research, character info and more.
Trelby (Free) - Straight forward scriptwriting tool.
CinemaVision Fountain Editor (Free)
Fade In (Paid)
Scrivener (Paid) - A complete writing environment for all forms of writing including scriptwriting, novels etc..
Celtix (Paid) - Script writing suite and online collaboration tool.
Writer Duet (Paid)

Audio Software & Resources
Replica Studios (Free & Paid) - AI Text to Speech Human Voices. Get one hour of free credit when you use my link...
Murf.AI (Free & Paid) - AI Text to Speech Human Voices & Video Editor...
Papagayo Lip Sync Tool (Free) - Very useful tool for speeding up manual lip syncing. Great companion to Moho.
Audacity (Free) - Pretty much the go to tool for anyone who needs to edit audio. Simple but with advanced features.
VoidMod Voice Changer (Free & Paid) - Real time voice changer primarily for live events but voices can be recorded too.
LMMS Music Sequencer (Free) - Go a little further and build music tracks for you animations from audio samples.
Free Sound Website Resource (Free) - Your first stop for free sound effects, many are fully Public Domain.
YouTube Music & Sound Library - If you have a YouTube Channel you'll find this in your YouTube Studio.

Software and Resources
Storyboarder (Free) - Storyboarding and animatic app. Draw, import, or use 3D models to create your boards.
Plot (Paid) - Browser based intuitive storyboarding. Draw or import your boards.
Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 20 (Paid) - Industry Standard storyboard and animatic tool.

Graphics & Animation Software
Krita (Free) - Graphics Software, hand drawn animation features. Can be teamed with Cartoon Animator.
PhotoPea (Free) - Browser based alternative to PhotoShop. Works with Cartoon Animator.
Clip Studio Paint Pro (Paid) - Pro graphics software, hand drawn animation features. Also works with Cartoon Animator.
Inkscape (Free) - Vector illustration software.

Cartoon Animator (Paid - Free 30 day trial) - Bone Rig Animation.
Pencil2D Animator (Free) - Mainly hand drawn animation.
Animation Paper (Free pre-release) - hand drawn animation.
OpenToonz (Free) - Pro level 2D animation.
Synfig Studio (Free) - Vector and Raster based drawing and bone rigged animation (similar to Moho).
Blender (Free) - Primarily 3D animation but with advanced 2D animation features. Hand drawn and bone rigged.
Moho (Paid) - Vector based drawing and Bone Rig Animation.
Adobe Creative Cloud (Paid) - Industry standard tools including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Animate CC. 
ToonBoom Harmony (Paid) - Industry standard 2D Animation software.

Dedicated Post Production VFX Software
Natron (Free) - Alternative to After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud (Paid) - Industry Standard Tools includes After Effects. Use with AE Script for Cartoon Animator.

Video Editing Software
Kdenlive | Libre Video Editor (Free)
OpenShot Video Editor (Free)
ShotCut Video Editor (Free)
VideoProc Vlogger Video Editor (Free)..
WeVideo (Free & Paid) - Browser based..
Veed (Free & Paid) - Browser based.
Movavi Video Suite (Paid)..
Filmora Video Editor (Free & Paid)
Hit Film Express (Free & Paid) - Can also be used for advanced post production VFX.
DaVinci Resolve (Free & Paid) - Pro level editor, also capable of advanced post production VFX.
TimeBolt (Paid) - If you make tutorial videos, automatically remove awkward pauses and silence...

Software and Resources
Screenlight (Free & Paid) - Secure place to invite people to offer feedback on your work before you release it.
TypeForm (Free & Paid) - Create surveys to see if your ideas have a market.
Survey Monkey (Free & Paid) - Create surveys, research your market.

YouTube (Free) - Build a channel. Monetize. The number one video hosting site.
Vimeo (Free & Paid) - YouTube alternative without all the ads and engagement features.
Adio (Free & Paid) - YouTube alternative, no ads, great for embeding video in your website.
Your Website - Send people to your dedicated website. All your work no distractions.
Mail Chimp (Free & Paid) - Build an email list of people who want to see your work wherever you post it...
Social Media - Whatever platform you're on, if it supports video, POST! (Tik Tok, Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter etc.)
CoPromote (Free) - Co-ordinate your distribution across several platforms.

Patreon (Free) - Build a membership of people who want to support your creativity.
Ko-Fi (Free) - Another option for building a membership of people who support your work.
Gumroad (Free & Paid) - Creative market to easily sell digital files like Videos and Courses.
Art Station (Free) - Huge community of professional artists and animators with a marketplace to sell your work.

Have you found a useful software or resource that has helped your 2D animation journey? Please let me know.

This page is intended to be a resource for beginner, hobbyist, and semi professional independent animators looking to improve their skills - or just get started on animating their own ideas. If you've found a software, or resource not listed here that really helped you, please let me know.
Email: etourist@arttimeproductions.com

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David Arandle (TET) A.K.A. The Extraordinary Tourist.

The Lazy Animator
David Arandle (TET)

I learned animation without expensive schools and you can too...

I am The Lazy Animator a.k.a. David Arandle. When I was a boy, back in the 1980s, I enjoyed creating cartoon characters and telling my own stories by drawing my own comic adventures. As computers became more advanced I learned you could use them to make animated cartoons that you could share on floppy disks with your friends, or on electronic bulletin boards (the precursor to the internet).

Fast forward to today and it's now possible to make broadcast quality, animated cartoons on a home computer or laptop using premade art and animation to simplify and speed up the entire process using Reallusion's Cartoon Animator.

I love making my own animated cartoons and I want to help you learn how to do that too without going to expensive schools or spending lots of money on software. I know you too can learn how to make and share your own animated cartoons that feature your characters and tell your stories even if you've never animated and can't draw.

Both these animations were animated by me in Cartoon Animator using purchased characters, scenes, props and motions.

It's hard to keep up with technology these days. Even the humble Watercooler comes with a pre-installed, Artificially Intelligent, Robot Water Valet.

All you need to know is that this office has a Robot Water Cooler Valet who's entire job is to press one button on the water cooler.

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Art Time Productions is an independent Animation and Content creation studio owned by South Australian Artist, Writer, Animator, Video Producer, David Arandle A.K.A. The Extraordinary Tourist or 'TET' for short.

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Art Time Productions is a registered Business in the state of South Australia.
Postal address: 5 Bridge Street North, Gawler, South Australia 5118.

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